ALL PROGRAMS

• An imagesetter is capable of 2400 dpi resolution and can produce different results than laser printer you used for proofing. A hairline (1/4 point or less) will reproduce on an image setter accurately yet will probably show as between 1/2 and 1 point on your laser printer. Screens will also appear darker on your laser printer because of the bigger dots. If you try to print photos at

SCANNING

• Scan line art images at as close to the final output resolution as possible (based on scanning an image at 100% placement size)
  
  
• Scan gray scale or colour images at 1 1/2 to 2 times the line screen (based on scanning an image at 100% placement size) Get the line screen information from your printer as it is determined by his press and the paper stock.
  
  
• Try to do all the file manipulation i.e. cropping rotating sizing etc. in your photo editing program and place the image in your page layout program without modification.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to try moving the mid-tone slider to open up detail in your photo. When you have completed your image manipulation use the levels command to set output to a min of 10 and 245 or 3% and 97% (shadow and highlight dot).
  
  
• Inexpensive scanners usually have a colour cast (most often red) To correct this estimate the percentage of colour (RGB) to reduce and remove 1/2 of the colour and add 1/4 of amount to the other colours. i.e. to reduce an image by 10% red you would remove 5% red and add 2 1/2% green and 2 1/2% blue.
  
  
• Save images for importing into layout programs as follows:
  
  • gray scale as TIF
  • colour for print as cmyk TIF
  • monotone, duotone, tritone etc. as EPS
  • any file which includes a clipping path as EPS

  (when working with a service bureau try to use only TIF and EPS file formats and avoid all others. If in doubt check with us first).

MICROSOFT PUBLISHER

• Set up your job for a service bureau using the MS Imagesetter driver and be sure to print the job specification sheet to send along with the file.
  
  
• Publisher does not have an option to print a 4 colour process job as separations although we can usually work around this if you set up the job using the MS Colour printer driver.

PAGEMAKER

• In a 4 colour process job check your links for any RGB colour images and convert to CMYK.
  
  
• If you need to overprint a graphic i.e. a black logo then create a separate black overprint colour in the colours menu and turn on over print for that colour.
  
  
• When sending a job to the service bureau do a save as and check the box "all files for remote printing ". This will collect all relevant files including trackbal.bin.
  
  
• If import EPS images with spot colours they sometimes create a new colour on the pallet from an existing colour. i.e. Pantone 340 and Pantone 340CV. Edit the colour's name to match exactly the same name as the EPS colour and they will move onto the same plate.

COREL DRAW

• In a colour (spot or 4 colour process) job requiring separation use the find and replace feature to ensure that only the required colours are in the job. Be especially diligent to find any RGB colours.
  
  
• When filing with a fountain fill (spot colour to white) to ensure that the fill does not default to process colour fill from one percentage to another the same colour i.e. 100% red to 0% red.
  
  
• To make a gray scale photo print as a spot colour save it as a monotone image in your photo editing program.
  
  
• The older font families particularly Toronto, Switzerland, Switzerland Narrow and Palm Springs sometimes give font substitutions (usually bold and bold italic) at the imagesetter. Please try to use the newer families (Times New Roman, Swiss 721, Swiss 721 Condensed and ZapfCalligraphic).

QUARK EXPRESS

• When working in 4 colour process make sure you define all colours as process separations.
  
  
• Because Quark on Windows NT does not recognize long file names please try to keep file names.

PHOTOSHOP/PHOTOPAINT

• If you are using a shadow or other transparency effect you must build the background into your image in the photo editing program. If you try to export and place on a background in another program the transparency will be to white.